Possible questions about IPv6 for home users

For Internet home users, you need to understand more about IPv6.

The Internet we are using today is the version four of the Internet Protocol (IPv4). Because of its limited space of address, the Internet community has proposed the next-generation version six (IPv6) as a replacement longer than a decade ago. Now it is commonly agreed that limited space would be depleted around the end of next year (Year 2011). Users of the Internet might start to consider switching to IPv6.

I believe many home users of the current Internet would have many questions about IPv6. I list some possible questions here and my answers to them. I hope this would help you to understand more about the new IPv6 world.

Question: As a home user, how to use IPv6? Will I have to change my way of using the Internet?

There is no change from the Internet users' perspective. You could hardly notice that you are already on IPv6 if your daily use of the Internet is through web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, just like mine.

Indeed, some non-elegant habits of IPv4 would become very difficult in the new IPv6 world, such as:

Non-elegant habit 1: Name a server by IP address instead by domain name

Since IPv6 addresses bits are four-times longer than the current IPv4, it would be much difficult to do hand-typing that long IPv6 addresses in your application software, such as web browsers. I suggest you to have a good habit of using domain names instead.

Non-elegant habit 2: Manually configure IP addressing information on PC

IPv6 is designed to be ‘plug-and-play’. It is not necessary any more to configure manually all IP addressing information on your PCs. If you insist on manual configuration, you would frustrate yourself by typing and maintaining that longer IP address information!

Question: What do I need to plug my home network to the new IPv6 world?

A client PC with IPv6 capabilities

This would be much easier than you thought. Windows starting from Vista, MAC OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, and even many mobile phones already have IPv6 built-in.

A home router with IPv6 support

In the near future, all home appliances would be connected through IPv6. You would then have so many IPv6 end points connected in your house. Therefore, a home router with IPv6 support will become a requirement.

More and more new home routers will have IPv6 built-in. Some existing home routers can be upgraded to add IPv6 support by replacing firmware.

An ISP with IPv6 built-in support

With several IPv4-to-IPv6 transition mechanisms, it is not necessary to have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) with IPv6 built-in support to get your home network plugged into the IPv6 Internet. However, to guarantee that the performance would be at acceptable level, an ISP with sufficient commitment to IPv6 would now be a minimum requirement.

I believe many ISPs are rolling out migration plans for their home users to the new IPv6 Internet. You can contact your provider to know their offers.

Question: What would happen if the current IPv4 address space is exhausted next year? Should I upgrade to IPv6 right now?

Although it is commonly believed IPv4 address space would be up around the end of next year, I believe there would be no substantial impacts to home users at that time. So, don't panic and take your time!

However, I still suggest you to plan for an upgrade to IPv6. Since newer Internet sites would be forced to exist only in IPv6 because of IPv4 addresses’ depletion, someday in the future you will find your current Internet performance to your favorite sites getting slower and slower gradually. You will have to upgrade in the end.

For home users, an action I suggest you to take right now is to stop buying network products without IPv6 features built-in.

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Let me know your questions about IPv6 by commenting here or sending me an Email! I will try my best to answer your questions!